|
By Kit C. Cauw
My most notorious Marriott Hotel experience took place in Vail,
Colorado, when I drank my friend's contact lens. Of course, he shouldn't
have left something so precious floating in a water glass beside
the sink while fifteen college kids lay passed-out across the floor
and beds of the room proper; with one fellow snoring in the bathtub.
The first thing anyone does in the morning after such a night is
reach for a glass of water. That his lens was destined for human
intake could not be disputed; mere chance dictated that I was the
agent of digestion. Thankfully it was a soft lens.
I am quite certain that the Marriott Vail Hotel is quite charming
and lovely; the rooms are well-appointed enough to (more or less)
comfortably sleep fifteen. I recall an outdoor Jacuzzi where one
could drink quality, Colorado margaritas then jump directly into
the snow. I am positive that the views were breathtaking. Finally
however, I know that were it not for the contact lens debacle, this
hotel would not stand out among the Sheratons, Holiday Inns, Hiltons,
and Novotels of my life. It wouldn't even crack my top ten list.
It was just another very nice hotel.
 |
|
The J.W. Marriott Phuket Resort And Spa is a whole different experience
entirely, memorable not for sophomoric antics but for its unbridled
excellence. A quality resort is far more than just a place to sleep,
eat and unwind. It is more like a dream world; as such, it provides
an experience akin to that created by an exceptional novel or movie.
We enjoy a novel, in part, because we enter into what the great
teacher of writing, John Gardner, called the "fictional dream."
Any time the author makes a mistake, he jerks the reader from this
dream.
The same holds true of the hotel experience. Should the resort's
short-comings rupture the dream, the guest will respond with irritation,
complaining that the steak is either too bloody or too similar to
the bottom of his shoe, the water too cold, too hot, or insufficient
in pressure, or any of a myriad similar annoyances.
One expects to feel special in the resort's dream world, pampered,
yet allowed room to roam about freely, to feel at least as relaxed
and natural as one feels in one's own home, yet with none of the
concerns of ownership, no worries about mildew growing on the baseboards
that the cleaning lady really should have noticed last week. The
J.W. Marriott Collection seeks to meet these expectations, to provide
"approachable luxury," luxury which is not pre-set, requiring
guests to adhere to its confines, but which is defined by guests'
desires and needs.
|
|
|
The J.W. Marriott Phuket experience begins in style, with the gold
Mercedes limousine that whisks guests north from the airport. The
fifteen-minute ride zips through rubber plantations and traditional
villages virtually devoid of billboards. The island narrows, with
Sirinath Marine National Park on the left, Pang Nga Bay just out
of sight to the east. There is no mishmash of souvenir stands or
bars, snake and crocodile shows to indicate that a resort is hidden
in the seaside thicket, just an unobtrusive sign on a side road.
More than any other hotel in Thailand's largest resort destination,
the J.W. is an island unto itself, rising suddenly, magnificently,
amid the coconut palms.
Landscape architect and wizard Bill Bensley, who has magically transformed
many of Thailand's most beautiful resorts, including Hua Hin's boutique
Anantara, has conjured up an enchanted palace of sensual delight.
Sea breezes harmonize with the earthy bouquet of the gardens, meditation
pond and fragrances of myriad tropical flowers. Spaces flow thematically,
beginning with the dramatic reflecting pool at the lobby, followed
by the lake of lotus blossoms a level down, where real flowers mingle
with their sculpted likenesses.
|
|
Steps, split down the middle by water streaming from a fountain,
lead up half a level to the Angkorian swimming pool and its guardians
of sandstone elephants, fish and giant mythical birds. Unlike many
top resorts that surround their pools with prosaic concrete, sandstone
borders these refreshing waters, providing a much more visually
pleasing surface while maintaining a non-skid function. Though not
the largest pool in Thailand, it is arguably the most striking,
composed of a series of bathing chambers, including a bubbling area
where sculptures of gleeful baby elephants recycle water through
their trunks. Views take in the beach gardens and casuarinas, the
Andaman's waves providing ambient sound. Still connected to the
whole, the kid's area is set off by itself, allowing plenty of peace
for couples and those who believe that vacation means getting away
from children. At the far end, the garden takes over; paths lead
through the trees, flowers and lawn to the north pool, which is
every bit as delightful as the first, though more reserved, evoking
a regal tone.
|
|
|
What many of Phuket's visitors truly seek is the beach and Mai
Khao is one of the island's finest. Nowhere else in Thailand can
one visit a resort of this calibre on a beach this long and remote.
Mai Khao Beach stretches for a whopping seventeen kilometres, nearly
all of which is protected by Sirinath Marine National Park. When
one sets her feet upon its grains, all one can see is sand, casuarina
trees, mountains and the Andaman. Due to its low-rise design, its
sandy coloration, and the preponderance of vegetation, the resort
itself disappears after a few steps along the surf's edge. Depending
on the day, there may be a handful of locals casting for translucent
sand fish, families picnicking under the shade trees, but at times
guests have the entire tableau to themselves.
One of the few remaining habitats of endangered sea turtles in Thailand,
Mai Khao Beach hosts the seasonal laying of eggs and subsequent
hatching of newborns. The J.W. collaborated with the World Wildlife
Foundation and local turtle protection organizations to launch the
Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which won the Pacific Asia Travel
Association Grand Award for Best Environmental Education Program,
2003.
|
|
Before I visited, I was not aware that J.W. Marriott is actually
its own mid-luxury collection, separate from the Marriott line,
set between the high-end luxury tier and the quality hotel tier.
The Phuket property, the collection's first resort in Asia, may
well be the flagship of the brand, and it is easy to see why. This
year Robb Report proclaimed the resort one of the top ten worldwide.
Staff here are the friendliest and most helpful that I have met
in Thailand, a country with a reputation for excellent hospitality.
During the SARS crisis, rather than laying people off, the J.W.
held a large scale event to thank their associates for their hard
work and to share ideas for further growth. Because associates are
"treated as internal guests," Marriott International is
considered a "preferred employer." The philosophy is simple
and works: a happy employee provides the best service. J.W. Marriott
Phuket currently enjoys a guest satisfaction survey score of 93%.
Rooms are finished in hardwoods, stone and marble, featuring balconies
and relaxation alcoves where guests can lounge on traditional Thai
pillows by the window and are draped in the finest Jim Thompson
silk curtains, duvet covers and pillow cases. Blossoms of orchids,
roses and other local flowers float in the bathtub when guests arrive.
Baan Mai Khao, the royal suite, is posh, secluded and exquisitely
designed in the same spirit as the greater resort.
|
|
|
The Mandara Spa offers a wide assortment of treatments in an lavishly
tranquil environment, the fitness centre is state of the art and
activities abound, including sailing, diving, batik-making and Thai
cooking courses. A Peter Burwash International tennis professional
is available; a new six-hole pitch and putt course has just opened.
The J.W. is the closest luxury resort to the award-winning Blue
Canyon Country Club, home to one of the best championship courses
in Asia.
In the gourmet deli, notices are posted on black boards as to the
specific time the chocolate chip cookies will be removed from the
oven. Dragon heads, taken from antique royal barges, ornament the
lobby. Everywhere, the stunning Asian architecture is reflected
in water.
After dark, the grounds take on a new personality, a spiritual beauty.
Much of the lighting is courtesy of oil-burning lanterns in the
lotus lake and lining the swimming pool. Ceiling lamps are contained
by intricately woven copper fishing weirs and rooster cages, all
modeled by John Underwood after the traditional bamboo wicker structures
one finds in local markets. Lights set at the base of casuarina
trees cast eerie shadows and a walkway of railroad ties set on the
sand allows for easy strolling between the swimming pool and the
beach. Each restaurant represents a distinctive mood and world,
Italian, Japanese, Thai, or global. One feels as though one resides
in a splendid temple, ancient and primal, the merger of Angkor Wat
and the Forbidden City. The feeling is utterly sublime.
|
|
When I read a perfect novel, I marvel not only at its characters
and plot, I wonder at the author's tremendous talents, sometimes
re-reading a delightful sentence, other times copying lines into
my diary. Over the course of our weekend (it really did feel as
though it belonged to us!) at the J.W., I had numerous opportunities
to pause in amazement, beginning, I suppose, with the essential
Swiss Chocolate Custard Tower after Friday's lunch. The most incredible
feat of the hotel was its ability to make everything look so simple,
effortless, as though this quality of experience should be commonplace.
This sense is precisely what a great novel leaves with the reader.
A perfect resort must offer unbridled comfort, delicious food, beautiful
decor, interesting architecture and landscaping, a variety of available
activities, an inviting swimming pool, a clean beach, personable
management and friendly, attentive, literate service. These criteria,
so rarely fulfilled by even the finest of hotels, are really just
the basics. A truly extraordinary resort, as with any work of art,
must, additionally, rise above the necessities of its form and compose
an opus which is lasting and unforgettable. The J.W. Marriott Phuket
accomplishes this and more: it makes one appreciate how truly difficult
it must be to get something absolutely right. At the same time it
poses the niggling questions, "Why? Why can't everyone do this
great a job? Why can't everything be like this always?"
|
